Open AccessDefining mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)‐derived small extracellular vesicles for therapeutic applications
Author(s) -
Witwer Kenneth W.,
Van Balkom Bas W.M.,
Bruno Stefania,
Choo Andre,
Dominici Massimo,
Gimona Mario,
Hill Andrew F.,
De Kleijn Dominique,
Koh Mickey,
Lai Ruenn Chai,
Mitsialis S. Alex,
Ortiz Luis A.,
Rohde Eva,
Asada Takashi,
Toh Wei Seong,
Weiss Daniel J.,
Zheng Lei,
Giebel Bernd,
Lim Sai Kiang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of extracellular vesicles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.94
H-Index - 68
ISSN - 2001-3078
DOI - 10.1080/20013078.2019.1609206
Subject(s) - mesenchymal stem cell , extracellular vesicles , microvesicles , computational biology , biology , stromal cell , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer research , biochemistry , microrna , gene
Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are transiting rapidly towards clinical applications. However, discrepancies and controversies about the biology, functions, and potency of MSC‐sEVs have arisen due to several factors: the diversity of MSCs and their preparation; various methods of sEV production and separation; a lack of standardized quality assurance assays; and limited reproducibility of in vitro and in vivo functional assays. To address these issues, members of four societies (SOCRATES, ISEV, ISCT and ISBT) propose specific harmonization criteria for MSC‐sEVs to facilitate data sharing and comparison, which should help to advance the field towards clinical applications. Specifically, MSC‐sEVs should be defined by quantifiable metrics to identify the cellular origin of the sEVs in a preparation, presence of lipid‐membrane vesicles, and the degree of physical and biochemical integrity of the vesicles. For practical purposes, new MSC‐sEV preparations might also be measured against a well‐characterized MSC‐sEV biological reference. The ultimate goal of developing these metrics is to map aspects of MSC‐sEV biology and therapeutic potency onto quantifiable features of each preparation.